As Radiant as the Sun
by synpitou
Summary: It was all because Sasaki Botan was a notorious klutz. She'd just wanted to pick up some dinner, an innocent bag of takeout was all she wanted. But she just had to trip into the arms of someone that would set her world on fire. Eventual Yata/OC; OC/?
1. Prologue

**Prologue is short; normal chapters will be much longer.**

***Prologue and Ch. 1**** edited on 5/21/15**

**+-As Radiant as the Sun-+**

_"I am not pretty. I am not beautiful. I am as radiant as the sun." _  
**―** **Suzanne Collins**

**.:-K-:.**

**Prologue**

**.:-K-:.**

The first thing most people noticed about Sasaki Botan were her eyes; a deep pink that seemed to glow in the right light – one of the many colors a peony flower blooms in, and the main reasoning for her given name. She seemed perfectly normal otherwise, what with her long black hair, pale skin, and pretty smile. She was, in essence, a stereotypical Japanese youth upon first glance.

The second thing that people noticed about Sasaki Botan is that she just seemed to just _know_ truth from fiction. For example, when Kobayashi Naomi's last boyfriend had claimed he would never cheat on her, Botan had automatically responded with a resounding "liar" which had ultimately led to the truth, and the truth to the couple's breakup. Said breakup had also led to the dark haired, pink eyed girl earning a new friend in the bubbly, brown-eyed brunette who was simply fascinated by Botan's ability as a human lie detector.

If given the chance to explain herself Botan would simply say that she was observant; the gestures people made, the tone of their voices. She just… _noticed_ things. Not once had someone been able to successfully lie to her, though she wasn't usually one to call people out on it unless it was a harmful lie. But even then she found it hard to say something if it didn't affect her in any way, as doing so had had bad consequences in the past.

She was fine with that though; not telling people. Thanks to Naomi's nosy nature and her brother's affiliation (and drinking tendencies) to that strange police-like group Scepter 4, they'd discovered the term 'strain.' And according to Naomi's brother strains were dangerous and needed to be registered and monitored – which, apparently, most were as children upon taking a specific test.

Botan did not remember such a test – but she figured she must not have shown anything worth registering, considering how nice he was to her (and he _was_ being truthful and genuine with his niceties).

There was one thing she was certain of though – she did not want to be some human zoo animal and she didn't want to be discriminated against for being a human lie detector; if she was, in fact, a strain.

Naomi didn't want that either.

So the girls made a pact to keep Botan's _knowing_-ness a secret, to never keep secrets from each other, and to, of course, be the best of friends for as long as they lived (Simple in thought, hard in nature).

Neither expected anything odd or strange to happen, for their otherwise normal lives to veer off course onto the path leading to abnormal (Not that things weren't already somewhat abnormal, what with Botan's ability). A path of clans and colored auras and kings. A more dangerous path. A more exciting, friend filled, _dangerous_ path.

It was all because Sasaki Botan was a notorious klutz.

She'd just wanted to pick up some dinner, an innocent bag of takeout was all she'd wanted. But she just had to trip into the arms of someone that would set her world on fire.

**.:-K-:.**

Orange nails dug into Botan's shoulders as Naomi spluttered and shook with laughter, "Y-you did _what_?"

Another snort followed by a stream of giggles.

"I-it was an accident!" Botan slapped away her friend's grabby hands, her face so red that her ears were practically blowing steam, "He just – I just – Stop laughing!"

"But that," Naomi wheezed slightly, her face cheery and red from laughing, "That was your –"

Botan slapped her hand over the brunette's mouth, "_It doesn't count!_"

**.:-K-:.**

**Sasaki Botan – Wren; Peony – **佐々木; 牡丹

**Age: 17 going on 18**

**Height: 5'2"**

**Eyes: Pink; a couple of shades darker than hot pink (same pink as a darker pink peony)**

**Hair: Black and curled in soft ringlets with side swept bangs; reaches just below her bust. **

**.:-K-:.**

**Kobayashi Naomi – Small forest ;Honest beauty – **小林;直美

**Age: 17 going on 18**

**Height: 5'3"**

**Eyes: Dark, almost black, brown**

**Hair: Warm, medium brown. Straight to her shoulders and flips up at the ends; hime bangs. **

***Both are incoming seniors at Ashinaka High School.**

**.:-K-:.**


	2. Chapter One

***Prologue and Ch. 1**** edited on 5/21/15**

**+-As Radiant as the Sun-+**

_"I am not pretty. I am not beautiful. I am as radiant as the sun." _  
**―** **Suzanne Collins**

**.:-K-:.**

**Chapter 1**

**.:-K-:.**

The distinct clicking of dominoes knocking each other down echoed through the semi-empty apartment as Naomi gleefully watched on, her friend Botan watching with a blank face, as it was her who had went through the painstaking process of setting the rectangular pieces up in the first place. She should have known (and did know; but she always hoped) this is what Naomi wanted to do in the first place, but the whining and nagging would have made her set it all up in the end anyways (her friend had some mean puppy-dog eyes, though the day would never come that she admitted that to Naomi, lest she attempt to take over the world).

"Naomi, what was the point of this?" Botan kicked her socked feet against the floor, a muffled thump following each hit, "School starts in –"

The brunette sitting on the floor pointed an imperious orange painted nail at her friend, "Don't. Let me enjoy the last week of my break before I have to slave away under _Madame President_. Spending senior year as a subservient _worm_ was not what I had in mind."

Botan slid down to the floor and started putting the dominoes back in their tin, a pouting Naomi slowly joining in, "You're the one that ran for office, Naomi, what did you expect?"

The dominoes still on the floor and in the tin jumped and clicked as Naomi's fist slammed into the floor. Her cheeks were puffed and her eyes filled with a childish gleam of jealousy, "I ran for president. _President_. Not secretary; I don't want to take notes!

"I want to order around my peons!" Naomi harshly jammed the lid back onto the tin before shoving it under the table where it didn't belong, "Our idiot classmates are idiots! So's the rest of the student body!"

Pink eyes met brown and Botan smiled wanly, "Part of your platform promised class reps stallions to ride around campus. Then you claimed we'd have a food appreciation day one day every week."

Naomi huffed, affronted. "Who doesn't like horses? And everyone loves food!"

"You would have bled the school funds dry," Botan stood up and padded to the door of the apartment that Naomi shared with her brother, "And your fellow students' wallets."

The exuberant brunette deflated and hefted herself off the floor, weakly trying to defend herself, "I got desperate. I wanted to _win_."

Botan snorted, but didn't respond. It had been a close battle for student body president at the end of last year, and Naomi might have won had she not declared she would do such outrageous things. When Naomi got panicked or desperate she got _weird_. As Botan stood the door clicked open and both girls peered up to meet the eyes of one Kobayashi Yuushi, a red mark practically glowing on his cheek.

"What happened to your face, bro?" Naomi slid forward in her socks to peer up at her brother's stony face, a hand reaching out to poke at the cut.

Yuushi swatted her hand away, "I had to do a lot of paperwork today; it's just a paper cut."

_Liar_. Botan's jaw clenched for a moment and she had to stop herself from looking at the older boy reproachfully; because that would lead to questions, and questions were not good.

"Whatever, bro," Naomi's nose scrunched as she eyed his face some more, sensing the lie herself, "Like I believe that."

Yuushi ruffled her hair before pushing her head away and causing her to stumble back, cursing as she did. The older brunette clicked his tongue at her before turning to Botan, "Are you leaving, Sasaki-chan? You can stay for dinner if you want."

"Ah, thanks but I can't," Botan slid around him to get to the door, smiling demurely as she did, "I've got to get home and clean up before mom gets back; I'll just get some takeout."

The young man shrugged before ruffling her hair, just as he had his own sister's – but minus the head-pushing, thankfully. "Be safe."

Botan smiled and waved to the siblings before slipping out the door, "I will!"

**.:-K-:.**

Botan's pace was leisurely as she considered her takeout options; there was a place that sold some nice Moo Shu pork, or there was that small shop that had the best (Botan thought so, anyways) tempura in Shizume City. She considered her options for a moment and her stomach let out a rather ferocious grumble that practically demanded a hardier meal, thus ultimately making the decision for her: Moo Shu pork it was.

The crowds in the streets slowly thinned as Botan walked on, the voices of the few people left buzzing in her ears and the cooler, evening air eliciting a shiver. Around the corner there was one audacious couple murmuring sweet nothings to each other under a lamp post, leading not only Botan but everyone else to hurry on with an awkward, bubbling feeling in their stomachs (or with angry and/or disgusted sneers).

"How can – Why would anyone want to be so public." The pink eyed girl mumbled to herself, speeding up to get away from the cooing couple, "To be so bold… I could never. Too embarrassing."

Her walk was brisk as she turned the corner and Botan's heart sunk as she felt the force of gravity launch her forward, the offending kick starter being the cracked rise in the sidewalk that decided to kiss her shoe goodnight.

_This_, she figured with scrunched eyes and hands instinctively thrown out, _was going to hurt_.

Except, it didn't.

Warmth was the first thing she registered and then the softness of another human body. Then she registered the arms that must have instinctively wrapped around her as she and this other person had flown to the ground. The arms tensed suddenly as she shock supposedly faded from this other person and, still dazed herself, Botan's eyes fluttered open.

Deep pink eyes fluttered open to meet wide hazel ones and… Oh, _god_. That strange abundance of warmth, Botan realized a split second later, was because in the course of the fall her lips had _smashed_ _right into_ this stranger's, leaving their noses pressed together in a rather odd way and their lips in an awkward – but warm – locked state.

Botan jerked and flung herself back with an embarrassed squeal, her face feeling like it was on fire as she slapped her hands over the lower half to cover her nose and mouth, both numb and oddly warm. The stranger that had softened her fall had scuttled back at the same moment she'd jerked away and was red as could be, spluttering as they just stared at each other, wide eyed.

"I-I-I'm sorry!" Botan wailed, her eyes scrunched shut and red face shoved down into her hands, "My fault, I'm sorry! I-I'm such a klutz! I'm sorry!"

The boy struggled to put words together, still sitting on the ground, leaned back slightly onto his hands with his beanie askew in his chestnut hair, "I-I…I-it's okay!"

He stuttered and spluttered some more when he noticed a wet sheen in her eyes before choking out loudly, "D-don't cry, o-okay? It's not… g-girls shouldn't…!"

Loud voices rose up somewhere out of the background, calling for someone named Yata. Botan watched with wide eyes, hands still covering her face, as the boy jerked to look in the direction of the voices. She haphazardly scrambled to her feet; if those were this boy's friends she did not need to stay here, because just _this_ was enough for one night, really, it was.

"I'm sorry!" She wailed again, causing the boy to jerk his head around in time to see her take off in the other direction, stumble, and disappear around a corner just as the owners of the earlier voices turned another.

"Hey, why are you on the ground, Yata?" A portly blonde boy asked, scratching his head as he looked at his friend.

Another boy in a hoodie stepped forward slightly, "And why is your face red? Did the **Chihuahua** have an accident?"

Yata froze before jumping up off the ground, his face no longer red as he got in the second boy's face, "Quit callin' me that, damn it!"

There was a momentary, non-serious scuffle that left both parties and everyone else there in a happier, neutral mood. As the group of boys turned to leave and head back to what they sometimes liked to refer to as home or headquarters, Yata held back to pick up his skateboard that he'd lost on impact with that girl.

He flushed slightly at the memory before noticing something shiny and squatted down to examine it. It was a white fabric ghost charm, with another set of charms – red and yellow flowers – dangling off of it.

"That girl…" he held it in front of his face for a moment, his face screwed up in thought. _She might miss it_, he thought as his face grew red again –

"Yata!" The portly blonde called, "You coming or what?"

The chestnut haired boy paused momentarily before he shoved the charms into his pocket before hurrying after his friends, "Yeah, yeah! Hold your horses!"

**.:-K-:.**

**Meanwhile….**

**.:-K-:.**

Botan clenched at the fabric at her chest, her back pressed against the door to her home as she choked on her breath after having sprinted the whole way home. She couldn't believe – that was – she'd _kissed_ that boy! Sure, it had been accidental, but it had been lips-on-lips. The hand clenched at her chest loosened some and her other hand twitched at her side as she slid down the door until she was sitting on the ground and whimpered –

She'd never gotten any dinner.

She'd accidentally _kissed a boy_ and _forgotten dinner_ along the way.

Her head settled into her hands and her dark hair curtained in waves around her as she contemplated her luck. Of all the times for her klutziness to kick in; of all the things that could have happened.

Another embarrassed whimper escaped her as she hefted herself off the floor and into the kitchen. The cabinets and fridge were fairly barren; she'd have to pick up groceries tomorrow. Botan scrambled around and gathered what few ingredients she had – which ended up being just what she needed to make some miso soup.

Maybe she could salt it with her tears.

**.:-K-:.**

**The next morning.**

**.:-K-:.**

A soft sizzling sound wafted around the kitchen as Botan languidly poked at the frying egg with a spatula, the events of yesterday evening still buzzing around and replaying in her head (and, _oh_, there goes her cheeks again). As she slipped the now done egg onto a plate the front door slammed open, the sound of jingling keys following it (Botan still wasn't sure whether she regretted giving the brunette a set of keys or not).

"Bo-chan!" Naomi surged into the kitchen, hands on her hips, "What had you so frazzled last night?"

Oh, Botan twitched, that's right. She'd cryptically spazzed out via text to her brunette friend last night, and Botan supposed Naomi had probably near beaten her brother to death in an attempt to get her the previous night, only to fail (Yuushi was very strict with curfews, after all).

"That – I – Oh, god…" Botan jabbed at her egg before shoving a piece into her mouth, her face reddening.

Naomi's face darkened and her orange nails tapped ominously on the counter, "Bo-chan. Spill."

It was with minor difficulty, some stuttering, and a very red face that Botan explained the attempted takeout run. She'd twitched at the mention of the cooing couple, flushed even redder when telling her about tripping into the boy, and almost fainted telling her about the accidental kiss and her subsequent fleeing.

Naomi shot over to her black haired friend and took hold of her shoulders before bursting out into laughter. Orange nails dug into Botan's shoulders as Naomi spluttered and shook with laughter, "Y-you did what?"

Another snort followed by a stream of giggles.

"I-it was an accident!" Botan slapped away her friend's grabby hands, her face to red that her ears were practically blowing steam, "He just – I just – Stop laughing!"

"But that," Naomi wheezed slightly, her face cheery and red from laughing, "That was your –"

Botan slapped her hand over the brunette's mouth, "_It doesn't count!_"

"Oh ho ho, but it _does_!" Naomi tweaked the affronted girl's nose with a grin, "That was your first kiss, as sad as it is that it had to happen that way.

"Maybe," the brunette's grin turned sly as she got up in her friend's face, "you should find that boy and kiss him for real. Maybe all of that was a _sign_ –"

The pink eyed girl slapped and shoved Naomi away, choosing not to verbally respond to that as her face heated up as if it was on fire. As if she'd go kiss some random boy. What were the odds of even seeing him again anways? There were a lot of people in Shizume City and she'd be in school soon; he was already a thing of the past.

An embarrassing, awkward, unforgettable thing of the past.

"Hey," Botan looked up as Naomi's voice became less teasing and more curious, "Where are your phone charms?"

Non painted nails snatched the phone from the orange ones and pink eyes widened as they noticed the absence of the ghost and flowers. Botan's heart sunk; it must have fallen of at some point. She'd loved those charms too. The ghost had been won out of a coin machine and the flowers were a present from Naomi who had a matching teal and blue set.

"They must have fallen off," Botan's shoulders slumped, "Now I'll never find them; Shizume City is too big."

Naomi gave her a side hug, "Hey, it's okay. Maybe someone will find them."

Botan gave her a skeptical look that said _'and what are the odds that they'd know who they belong to?'_

The brunette just smiled, "I have a feeling things will work out in the end…So, that being said…Shopping?"

**.:-K-:.**


	3. Chapter Two

***Prologue and Ch. 1**** edited on 5/21/15**

**Minor changes; some info has changed and a few things have been added.**

**+-As Radiant as the Sun-+**

_"I am not pretty. I am not beautiful. I am as radiant as the sun." _  
**―** **Suzanne Collins**

**.:-K-:.**

**Chapter 2**

**.:-K-:.**

Botan's arms shook as she hefted yet another rather heavy box onto a shelf in the backroom; her arms gaining an unpleasant rubbery feeling in relief as the weight was taken away. Vaguely the black haired girl wondered why she had gotten a job at this little market/convenience store in the first place, but then she remembered –

'_My mom is gone a lot,'_ she released a huffy breath, blowing her bangs into the air, _'and sometimes I need more money than she leaves me.'_

Her mother was the owner of a chain clothing store, so she was often gone to meetings and events across Japan (and occasionally out of the country, too). Despite being good at her job, Miss Sasaki was rather scatterbrained in normal day-to-day life. Botan loved her regardless; even if her mother left her barely enough cash each month for necessities (it was better than he being a deadbeat, like her father – whom she'd never met).

Besides, she only worked in the convenience store three days a week, part-time. Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays.

"Botan-kun," a broad shouldered, decently muscled man leaned against the doorjamb leading into the main part of the store, his dark brows furrowed and arms crossed, "Keigo-kun is supposed to be dealing with the heavier lifting, you _both_ know that."

Botan blinked sheepishly up at her boss, "Shoji-san wasn't around and it needed to be shelved; it wasn't too bad, Hirano-san."

"That's not the point, kid," Ryou Hirano patted the small girl on the head, "Now go restock the instant ramen for me, yeah? Then take over the register so Maia-kun can get out of here."

The dark haired girl made a noise of acquiescence and her boss stalked off; probably to ream her coworker Keigo Shoji for slacking off (a common occurrence; though he wasn't a bad guy, just lazy). Botan let out another huff before picking up a box of instant ramen cups and used her back to push open the door leading to the main floor of the convenience store.

But as she approached to appropriate aisle a familiar voice caught her attention. And for some reason she got the urge to blush and flee.

"Ah man, looks like they're out."

Botan's mind whirred; she _knew_ that she knew that voice.

An unfamiliar voice was heard next, and also knocked the pink eyed girl from her thoughts concerning the other voice, "It's probably for the best, isn't it? Totsuka would – well, he wouldn't do much, but Kusanagi-san would kill us if he found out all we fed Anna-chan was unhealthy stuff while he was gone."

That aisle was the aisle she needed to get into, wasn't it?

The familiar voice rang out again with a groan, "But I want ramen!"

Yes, it was, it was the aisle she was going to. As Botan turned the corner she finally saw who she was dealing with; neither looked familiar. Before either could speak again, Botan interrupted –

"Um, were you looking for instant ramen? I was just coming to restock the shelf…" Botan shifted the box of ramen cups in her arms as the two boys looked up, "Though, um, if you want something healthy the ramen stand down on Matsushita Avenue has healthy – well, healthier, cheap options."

What, she wondered, made her tell them that? He could just _see_ the exasperated look on her boss' face for botching a sell.

The boy in the hoodie smiled and laughed, "Thanks for the tip! We should probably still stock up on some instants though."

"Oh, um, well," Botan shifted the box in her arms slightly and the boys scrambled out of her way, realizing where she needed to go, "Ah, thanks. Um, which ones would you like?"

Once again the hoody wearing one spoke up, his tone happy as he listed off the amount of what flavors they needed before the two boys left to check out. Botan let out a breath she didn't know she'd held in as she watched them go – why were those two so familiar to her?

**.:-K-:.**

**Later in the day…**

**.:-K-:.**

"So, you met some guys at work," Naomi paused to lick away some of her melting ice-cream, "and you've met them before?"

Botan pursed her lips, "Not…met. I think I've heard their voices. It's bugging me though – because I don't know why it seems so important that I remember."

There was a series of crunches as Naomi hurriedly choked down her ice-cream cone before striking some strange pose (Botan didn't bother looking at her) –

"Maybe it's destiny! Like – they're people you're just meant to meet!"

A moment of silence passed between the two – the only sounds heard being the natural ambiance one would expect in Shizume City. It was an interesting thought – but Botan didn't quite believe in destiny. Things happened – coincidences, accidents – but she hardly believed things were somehow preordained in any way.

Naomi stopped, her eyes somewhat wide with a new idea and Botan regarded her with a raised brow –

"Or – or what if…" Naomi moved in closer to whisper, "What if _they're like you_."

It was at that that Botan had to pause – because maybe, just maybe, that was a possible explanation. Something like familiar voices or faces didn't normally bother her, as she rather liked her very small bubble of friend(s). But if they were something beyond normal that could very well be why not remembering where she head the voices bothered her so much.

"Maybe so," slowly the two girls began moving again, Naomi cleaning her sticky hands as Botan spoke, "But even so, I wish I could just let it go. What are the odds of me even meeting them again? Plus, it's not like I'm going to ask them what supernatural things they can do even if I did."

"Well, maybe if we can just figure out where you remember them from," the two paused, waiting for a crosswalk, "You can and will let it go. It's just a matter of narrowing things down, even if we have to tear the city apart!"

Botan's lips parted, ready to respond to her exuberant friend, when an older, amused and distinctly male voice called out first –

"My, such passionate and destructive words from a pretty young lady. Should we be worried for our dear city?"

Both Naomi and Botan momentarily froze, brief surprised looks crossing their faces as they looked over to see a blond man – who was now seemingly being scolded by a brunet.

"Mah, Kusanagi-san, you shouldn't be teasing young girls," the young man laughed before turning to the girls, "You both looked so startled I thought I should say something – Kusanagi-san is harmless though, I promise."

The blond – Kusanagi, it seemed – smacked the brunet on the back of the head, jokingly complaining to his friend about being insulted. At the show of friendship the two girls couldn't help but to smile a bit, though Naomi was the only one to speak up –

"It's alright – we were just startled. Didn't think that anyone was really listening to us. Or that we were being that loud."

Botan's tone was light, the words slipping past her lips before she even registered that she was speaking, "When are you ever _not_ loud?"

Naomi let out an almost indignant squawk. "I am not –" Naomi paused at the 'oh really' look on Botan's face and reddened. "I'm not; I'm just _passionate_. It's why _**I**_ should be president!"

The two had seemingly become oblivious of the two men's presences upon getting into their little squabble, leaving them unaware of the amused looks their little back-and-forth was getting. They didn't even hear the approach of another man – on with red hair and a disinterested look – and a little pale haired girl; nor did they hear the fond comment of 'doesn't this remind you of the good old days?' and the 'what do you mean the good ole days? Then again this is more harmless than the usual arguments.'

Instead, what got their attention, was the arrival of a group of rather loudly squabbling boys. Botan was the first to turn her attention – her pink eyes darting over first as Naomi blinked and readjusted her own gaze. And, once again, Botan got that feeling, as the boys from the store were part of her group – but then –

Pink met golden brown and both teens _froze_.

Because those eyes (on both Botan's and the boy's (Yata, was it?)) were seeing _the_ _exact same thing _– the eyes of the one they accidentally kissed in a freak accident where all Botan had wanted was some _gosh darn_ Moo Shu pork.

And Botan felt the heat rising to her face and could just imagine how it was like lava rushing to the top of a volcano. Yata's was no better, for that matter, and now everyone was noticing their awkward stare down.

_Everyone_.

"Yata, man, getting kinda creepy."

"Seriously, Yata, you're not gonna win a lady like that."

It was Naomi's vastly loud voice that shook Botan to the core though, as the brunette's voice had taken on a tone of enlightenment –

"So that's…"

"Oh?" It was the friendly brunet from earlier, "Have you all met before, Miss?"

A grin broke out on Naomi's face as she eyed the two red individuals –

"Oh, I haven't but the other week these –"

Naomi's voice turned into a muffled screech as Botan lunged at her friend, hand slapped over her mouth and now practically dragging the taller girl backwards.

"No one cares about your silly story, _Na-chan_." Botan forced herself not to grit her teeth, smile wide in embarrassment, "But you know, we gotta get that thing for school. So, sorry everyone but _wegottagonowokay_? _Okay, bye_!"

With a strength she had no idea she possessed, Botan dragged Naomi around the corner before pulling the laughing brunette along.

"Don't be embarrassed, Bo-chan," Naomi's face was flushed from laughter, "He was _cute_. You got _lucky_."

**.:-K-:.**

**Back with the boys…**

**.:-K-:.**

"Yata-san…" The pale haired girl stared up at the still red-faced boy, "Is very embarrassed, and conflicted."

Kusanagi let out a puff of smoke, lowering his cigarette with a smirk on his face, "So you _have_ met her before. Poor thing looked almost mortified."

"Did you meet her at Marui's?" A boy in a hoodie supplied, "I think she works there; I saw her there earlier this morning around lunch time."

Yata jerked and backed away from all of them, face still red, "I-I don't know her, okay?! W-we've never met!"

The pale haired girl blinked, "Not formally… but, in an awkward moment."

"Yata, what did you do?!"

"_**NOTHING. SHUT UP.**_"

**.:-K-:.**

**Buhh. Not sure how well I characterized these guys? uwu**

**But yeah. The awkward "We meet again?!" has happened.**

**Except not really because she ran away.**

**Also, I wish this was longer than it is. But I didn't know what else to add to this chapter.**

**.:-K-:.**


	4. Chapter Three

**+-As Radiant as the Sun-+**

_"I am not pretty. I am not beautiful. I am as radiant as the sun."_  
**―****Suzanne Collins**

**.:-K-:.**

**Ch. 3**

**.:-K-:.**

Having her mother home and not away on business was odd – Botan loved her, but there was just something…different in their relationship. Sasaki Kaori was an indomitable woman, but at times (who was she kidding; her mother was _always_ a child) it seemed like she had the heart and spirit of a child. A somewhat spoiled child, at that. Botan figured she was lucky to not have ended up a spoiled brat herself, what with the things that her mother brought home with her (foreign sweets, cute little trinkets, and more often than not clothes from _Ringo Sora_ – her mother's clothing store).

"Isn't it cute, Bo-chan?" Long, inky hair fluttered about as Sasaki Kaori gave a spin, the dress she was holding up twisting and turning with her. "I bet you would look so pretty in it. You _do_ look so gorgeous when wearing purples and reds."

Botan took the proffered dress, the fabric oh-so-soft under the pads of her fingers. "It _is_ pretty."

'_But it's too formal for me to wear.'_ Was left unsaid.

It really was pretty though – with a high, box neck and knee length flowy and layered skirt, it balanced out quite nicely. The top layer was thin, violet, and translucent enough to see the colorful magenta, orange, and indigo patterned fabric underneath and Botan could _see_ herself in it, the skirts swishing around her knees in a rather flirty way.

Except it wasn't a dress that one wore as a casual sort of thing – it was on the dressier side (though she supposed it was also a matter of taste and opinions when it came to what 'casual' meant).

"Oh! And here! We have this new design here –" Kaori smoothed the fabric of a rather bright body-con dress – patterned in wavy lines of varying orange. "Nao-chan would look great in this, don't you think?"

"Na-chan will really love it, Kaa-chan." And she would; Naomi was rather fond of most of the clothes from _Ringo Sora_.

"Oh, oooh. Bo-chan, why don't we go out and take Nao-chan and Yuu-kun out for a nice dinner?" Kaori bustled about, re-applying an eye-popping red coating of lipstick, smacking her lips to spread it nicely with a wide, excited eyed look to her.

There was a part of her that wanted to say no to this, as Botan rather wanted some more time alone with her mother (the woman was liable to be gone in the morning – she was rather flighty like that, sometimes). But going out with the Kobayashis was never a bad thing – they were practically family, really.

"Sure, Kaa-chan. But Kobayashi-nii might not be able to, what with his job."

"Ara, he's such a busy, busy man now-a-days." Kaori cradled her face in one of her hands, "He's such a responsible young man. I'm glad he watches out for Bo-chan when kaa-chan isn't here."

Botan was glad, too. Yuushi was very caring, despite the fact that she wasn't really his little sister, and it felt nice to have a sort-of-big-brother. It didn't mean she wasn't worried though – he was part of a group that tracked down strains. So what would he do once (if) he found out about her? Would duty or familial-love win out on that sort of situation? Though, Botan would admit that neither she nor Naomi knew what exactly happened if and when Scepter 4 found a strain.

"Bo-chan?"

"Hai, kaa-chan." Botan pulled her charm-less phone to her chest. "They said they'd come."

**.:-K-:.**

Downtown Shizume was by far more relaxed than the central part of the city. It was full of little vintage and quirky pop-culture-y shops, hole-in-the-wall pubs and restaurants – along with a smattering of apartment buildings along the way. And it just so happened that Sasaki Kaori's favorite little restaurants were located there (she rather liked the ambiance in the little, quirky and out of the way places). Botan herself also enjoyed the downtown area – Marui's was located there for one, and it was far less bustling than the central part of the city.

Plus, there was the Moonfly Café. Which was what Botan and Naomi liked to call their "home away from home", even if it was often said in a joking manner. The fact of the matter was that if not at their respective homes or at Ashinaka, it was highly likely they were squirreled away in a softly lit corner of Moonfly. But that was aside the point, as her mother would probably never step foot in that place, no, instead –

"Oh, maybe we should try that place? It looks unique, the name too – HOMRA." The elder Sasaki pursed her lips, manicured nails tapping her cheek as she pouted, "But it is a bar and Bo-chan and Na-chan are still under aged."

"Please refrain from going there at any time, Sasaki-oba-san." Yuushi's tone had a herd edge to it, and his words a firmness that had both Botan and Naomi momentarily startled. "HOMRA is run by a group of punks. They're no good, so it's be best to stay away."

"Oh, really? Are you sure…"

Something started to move, mental gears started to shift closer and closer to a working place in Botan's head, causing her mother's voice to fade back to background noise. Because she had heard of HOMRA before – it was hard to not have if you lived full time in Shizume City (downtown or otherwise). They were regarded as dangerous by a lot of people – though Botan had heard a couple of arguments between students once upon a time, upon the fact that HOMRA typically only actually fought people who could be considered 'bad.' That wasn't really all that important though, what _was_ important was something else she couldn't quite put her finger on.

And then, the gears clicked into place.

Botan's now large eyes swiveled to look at Naomi, who in turn cocked her head in confusion. Her mouth dry and voice too weak (both due to her revelation and the elder Kobayashi's presence) left her no choice but to mouth one word –

'_Ya-ta-ga-ra-su.'_

It took a second for Naomi's mind to register the complete meaning for said word (or name, rather), and took another long second for her look of confusion to morph into one of startled surprise.

Naomi blinked once, twice, a third time. Slowly she pointed at Botan, then over her shoulder, and then made the most absurd kissy-face the pink-eyed girl had ever seen. Despite the absurdness (and the raging embarrassment at the reminder), Botan nodded, her face pale. Because that boy she'd run into? They – his friends – had called him _Yata_; she remembered _that_ clearly enough.

Yatagarasu of HOMRA.

Her luck was on par this year.

For sure.

(Or maybe it was all just a big 'ole coincidence. Maybe he was just some guy who _happened_ to be named Yata.)

Those hopeful thoughts had to be put on hold, though, and Naomi flapped her arms about in a spastic way that signaled 'oh shit, I think I got something.' Which, really, was the last thing the frazzled, pink-eyed girl could use at this point.

"Oi, why do you two have such stupid looks on your face right now?" Yuushi scowled, the door to a restaurant held open in his hand as Botan's mother giggled in the doorway. "And why are you flailing about like an idiot, Naomi?"

"Oh, let then live out their youth, Yuu-kun." Sasaki Kaori gave the young man a pat on the arm, her face cheerful. "Come on then, I'm _starving_!"

**.:-K-:.**

More often than not, Naomi came up with some really ridiculous ideas. Usually they came along because Naomi was working towards winning something and she got over excited about her possible victory – which in turn sometimes ended up with her screwing herself over (or holding herself back from actually doing/saying something and winning; it was a fifty-fifty sort of thing). Though much to Botan's chagrin, Naomi's current idea of choice had a lot of traction to it. Most of that chagrin came from the fact that the taller girl would not let it go, though – she was rather stubborn about some things, that Naomi.

"Can we _not_." Botan ran her finger around the rim of the stylish yet simple teacup on the table in front of her. "It's done and over with – one moment –"

"_Two_." Naomi shoved the last piece of her pastry into her mouth, puffing on of her cheeks out as she chewed (and, regrettably, talked), "Two for you, one for me. But, still, _two_ moments."

Botan scowled good-naturedly, "Two moments in my life that give us no reason to build up or worry about things. They were coincidences."

"Or," Naomi splayed out across the armchair she was occupying in a rather odd manner, "Perhaps it was _fate_."

An amused scoff broke what little of a staring contest there was between the two girls, leading pink and brown eyes to meet a set of green ones. The young man held out the two pieces of paper – their receipts for the day – and let a smirk upturn the corner of his mouth.

"You two are such nerds. It's cute, really."

Naomi snatched their receipts from his willing hands, her voice full of false pomp as she turned away, "We know we're cute; can't say the same for you though, Daichi."

Daichi ran a hand through his dyed blond hair, his hand staying up and splayed out, "_Cute_ is too girly of a word for me, you're right. I'm _handsome_."

"I think conceited or perhaps rude would more aptly describe you." Botan smiled, her voice falsely contemplative.

"Whatever lets you girls sleep at night." The blond laughed and waved over his shoulder. "See you girls later."

Naomi stretched until her spine gave a quiet pop and sighed, "Well, I guess we're done for. Too bad you have work on our last night of freedom."

Botan laughed before starting for the door, "You make it sound like we're going to _prison_."

"It might as well be with _her_ holding the reins!"

**.:-K-:.**

Manning the register wasn't Botan's favorite task (though it was better than trying to pick up Shoji's sometime-slack), as dealing with people watching her count money was kind of nerve-wracking. Especially since some of the people that came in here tried to bully her into believing she hadn't given them enough change (but she knew better than that).

The bell dinged at the front of the shop and Botan blinked some of the sleep from her eyes –

"How may I –"

"T-These are yours, right?!"

Botan froze – it was him, the boy she'd run into. He was red-faced and obviously embarrassed; she could tell that much with the way he has looking off to the side with his eyes only occasionally darting her way. He didn't seem bad at all, not like some people liked to say, especially considering –

"M-my charms! I thought they were gone for good!" Botan held them close to her chest, a beaming smile breaking out on her face of its own accord. "Thank you! Thank you so much!"

They boy reddened a bit more before rubbing the back of his head sheepishly, "I-it was no p-problem. I just – Ah, I'll get going now."

His pace was hurried as he headed for the door and Botan felt almost at a loss –

"W-wait!"

He froze, hand partially out and almost on the door's handle.

"I – I'm Botan! Sasaki Botan."

He turned and gave a half smile, "…Yata. Yata Misaki."

And with that, he was gone.

It was also in that short-lived moment that Botan thought that HOMRA couldn't be that bad. He seemed nice, and those guys she and Naomi had run into the other day before Naomi had tried to open her big mouth hadn't seemed like bad guys either. Perhaps she'd get a real chance to actually form her own opinion of the supposedly delinquent group.

(And why, all of a sudden, did she begin to hopeful about getting that chance?)

**.:-K-:.**

**Previous chapters have gone through a bit of a tweeking~**

**Am fond of this chapter.**

**Also have a serious need to finish season 2. **


End file.
